It does look bad, and now both Paxton and Cruz have to run with that on their records. But compare Trump's half a million dead to the much smaller death toll in Texas, and maybe it's not that big a deal. Inciting the insurrection was an actual crime with a sentence of prison time and exclusion from any elected office. And of course, neither was actually responsible for those poor frozen citizens. Neither has a job rescuing people in dire straights.

If the Governor, police, or EMTs fled the state, that would be much worse.

And when you think about who is ultimately responsible for the disaster that would just be any other winter storm in Northern states, it's the voters. They elected the Republicans who did what Republicans do. If you want elected officials to do responsible things, vote for Democrats. Simple as that.